News Archive (6192)
Four motorcyclists were killed in three crashes over 4 days last week
Written by Tom
Amador County – Four motorcyclists were killed in three crashes over 4 days on Highway 88 in Amador County, ending Sunday with the death of two people from Stockton, in a crash east of Cat Creek Road.
The reported fatal crashes involving motorcycles came as motorcycle enthusiasts have been making their way through Amador to Nevada for the annual “Street Vibrations” event.
California Highway Patrol reported that a man and a woman from Stockton died in a crash at 12:40 p.m. Sunday. The woman, age 79, was driving a 2009 Harley Davidson three-wheeled motorcycle, and the man, age 80, was a passenger.
They were west-bound on Highway 88, east of Cat Creek Road, CHP said, and was passing another motorist at the passing lanes. The Harley accelerated to a high rate of speed to compete the pass. The Harley entered a left-hand curve in the road, was unable to negotiate the curve and ran off the road and down a dirt embankment. The motorcycle struck trees and rocks and the driver and passenger were ejected. Both were pronounced deceased at the scene.
At about 2:15 p.m. Friday, a 68-year-old Lodi man was killed on Highway 88, west of Kirkwood Meadows, when he crashed his 1997 Honda motorcycle. CHP said the man was east-bound on 88, at about 35 mph. A second vehicle, a 2003 Peterbuilt, driven by Casey Ohalloran, 31, of Auburn, was west-bound at about 30 mph. As the Honda was rounding a right-hand curve, he lost control and crossed into the opposing westbound lane, directly into the path of the Peterbuilt. Ohlloran applied his brakes but was unable to avoid a collision and struck the Honda head-on. The Lodi man was ejected, and subsequently succumbed to his injuries.
A woman was also killed last Thursday in a crash on Highway 88, west of Nobb Hill Court. CHP said the woman, whose age and hometown were not released, was driving a 2004 Harley Davidson east on 88, and crossed over the double yellow lines into the west-bound lane.
Gregory Ramirez, 36, of Jackson, was west-bound in a 2009 Isuzu box van when he saw the woman’s motorcycle in his lane. Ramirez steered toward the north roadway edge to try to avoid a collision. The Harley struck the right front of the van. The motorcycle continued north-east, running off the north roadway edge, where it struck an embankment.
CHP said the woman “sustained fatal injuries as a result of the initial impact.” Release of details of the decedents was pending notification of next of kin.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – Amador County Supervisors last week gave a 2-year extension for a single family home building permit for a Signal Hill family involved in a lawsuit over claimed defective construction of a garage and storage building in Volcano.
Kevin Rodman, attorney for Nancy and Albert Clemmer, told Supervisors at their Sept. 13 meeting that the Clemmers had a metal building built on their property, which resulted in “obvious problems.” They were sued by the construction company for $8,000 and a cross complaint was filed, then the cement supplier filed a cross complaint.
The Clemmers hired an engineer, who said foundation problems affected a retaining wall and building. Rodman said: “Everything has to come out and they have to begin from scratch.” They are trying to get a loan to build a house. Nancy Clemmer told Supervisors that “construction loans are very difficult to get.” They have even “contacted a reality TV series to see if they would help us.”
Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said the soil was not compacted before construction took place. Clemmer in a letter said “severe defects in the construction of the barn have been discovered, after we pulled the house permit. Rather than address those issues, the contractor place the lien on the property and filed the lawsuit.”
Clemmer said it was “built to a minimum snow load,” which did not suit plans to have solar panels on the building. Rodman said they “built the wrong building.”
Clemmer said “we pulled the permit in good faith” and “it is still our intention to live there.” They sought an extension of the building permit, which needed approval of Supervisors, due to the length of time since its approval, according to a staff report. The plans were submitted in September 2009 under a 50 percent facility fee and a 50 percent wavier program for country recreation fees. The permit was issued in November 2009.
Clemmer said “we believe the contractor is dragging his feet on purpose.” Rodman said no court date or settlement conference had been set, and he expected several months to get to a mediator, and 7-8 months if it went to trial.
According to Court filings, Heath Construction and Development Incorporated is suing Albert and Nancy Clemmer in the case, and Amador Transit Mix is a cross defendant.
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Pine Grove corridor improvement project is 13 years out
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador County Transportation Commission and Caltrans hosted a public meeting Wednesday, discussing the two preferred Pine Grove Corridor projects that were recommended by members of the ACTC Stakeholders Work Group.
The project is 13 or more years out, ACTC Project Manager Neil Peacock said, as he led a short presentation on how they went from 14 alternative routes to two, plus the obligatory “no-build” option, which must do an Environmental Impact Report on having “no project.” He said the next step is deciding a project, or a hybrid of existing options, and which one to put through the EIR process.
ACTC Executive Director Charles Field opened the Q&A portion, asking: “When is the earliest it might be built?”
Peacock said “I wouldn’t hope for any miracles to see anything before 2024.” He also said that the $40 million they expect to have for the project was just an estimate of what they could collect by 2024 for the project. The next step was to determine a project to create environmental documents for, in partnership with Caltrans.
Field said they need a hybrid, and the “$40 million is just a target. We don’t even know if we will have that. It’s not waiting in the bank, it’s a target. And every $10 million more that we aim for” makes it “that much less likely.” He said as the project becomes more real, Caltrans will support it more.
Caltrans has said it preferred a five-lane through town project, at an estimated $54 million, and Caltrans Pine Grove Improvement Project Manager Grace Magsayo told the group she will work with ACTC to try to get a three-lane, through town project that might work.
Caltrans Branch Chief Gail Miller said when a project is found, it will go to the Caltrans Project Development Team, which will make a decision, and District 10 Director Carrie Bowen will sign the environmental document.
Stakeholder member John Carlson said he liked the transparency of the public meetings, but wondered why Caltrans did not allow public input during their decision making process.
Magsayo said “this meeting alone is transparent enough.” She said they are well aware of all the work the stakeholders have done, and how the community feels. She said the Project Development Team is a group of technical, legal, and environmental experts that need to move along at an expert level.
Miller said if the public were involved, “we would never get anything done.” She said it was technical work that was not done any differently than in any other state highway organizations.
Consultant Leslie Bono said any project that has community support will be better for Caltrans to support.
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Amador County – Amador County officials have been preparing for statewide “inmate realignment” set to take effect Oct. 1.
Amador County Chief Probation Officer Mark Bonini said it was the biggest change in the criminal justice system in California since the 1970s and there was quite a bit of cleanup legislation, the last signed Wednesday by Gov. Brown.
Due to federal legislation, California faced the possibility of releasing 30,000 to 40,000 inmates. Bonini said “in place of having to do that,” the California Legislature has been working with the Chief Probation Officers Association, California State Association of Counties, California County Sheriffs and other groups to create Assembly Bill 109.
Bonini said he has been actively working behind the scenes, through the Chief Probation Officers Association, since January, and the Legislation helped enact the federal requirements “in a more orderly manner.”
Bonini said the good thing is, “under AB109, no offenders are being released early.” A certain population of offenders will go to county jails, instead of state prison. Those new offenders must meet the classification of being non-serious offenders, non-violent offenders and non-sex-offenders. If they are sentenced to custodial time, they must stay in the county jail in the county where they committed the crime, but they will not go to state prisons. Bonini said: “They still do time, but where they do time is changed.”
The impact on Amador County will come as a trickle at first, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation estimated 53 people the first year. Another 43 people now in prison will go to “post-release supervision,” overseen by Amador County Probation. It is not probation but has similar restrictions. The “post-release community offenders” previously were supervised by state parole, but now will be supervised by county probation offices, Bonini said. It remains to be seen if CDCR projections are on target, but an estimated two community offenders coming to Amador Probation Oct. 1 instead will be five, he said.
Another realignment is funding. CSAC worked on and approved a Community Corrections Fund, Bonini said. AB109 set up a Community Corrections Panel (CCP), with an executive board, chaired in each county by the Chief Probation Officer, and seated with the Sheriff, District Attorney, one Police Chief, the presiding Superior Court Judge, County Administrative Officer, Director of Health Services, and Public Defender.
The CCP must create a plan for funding distribution, which is approved by the Board of Supervisors. That plan still must be written.
Bonini said that’s why the CCP executive board includes who it does, so they can look at the way the system is changed, and tackle it together, to see where new funding and staff may be needed.
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Caltrans will work on 3 lane idea for the Pine Grove Corridor project
Written by Tom
Amador County – About 60 people attended a workshop and open house Wednesday at Pine Grove Elementary School and heard that the California Department of Transportation is willing to work on a hybrid, three-lane, through-town project as a possible solution to easing traffic problems on Highway 88 through Pine Grove.
Caltrans project manager Grace Magsayo said Caltrans is ready to work with the Amador County Transportation Commission on three-lane alternatives through town, to see if there are any ways to have that be the final solution. She said for Caltrans, the “overriding concern is that the project meets our purposes and needs.” Those concerns are that it needs to meet expectations and certain criteria for operations, for safety and for easing congestion on Highway 88 in Pine Grove.
Neil Peacock, program manager for ACTC, said the two final projects that were presented by the ACTC “Stakeholders Work Group” were a southern bypass, at an estimated cost of $71 million, or a through-town, improvement of what is there, improving a three-lane system through town, costing about $27 million. The long-term money for the project was expected to be about $40 million. He said the southern bypass was too costly, but Caltrans is willing to work with ACTC on a hybrid solution, between the two options.
Peacock said it was made clear in the study over a dozen-plus of meetings, that nobody supported a five-lane road through town, which Caltrans saw as a long-term solution. Peacock stressed the “partnership” needed in the project, and said all of the “bypasses” have been dismissed as too expensive, including the 2-lane southern bypass, costing $73 million.
He said Caltrans prefers a five-lane improvement through town, which would cost an estimated $54 million, while the Stakeholders Work Group supported the 3-lane through town approach of “fixing what we’ve got,” for an estimated $27.5 million.
Peacock said this is a good example of the challenges we are facing because “we must find a balance or a hybrid solution” to eliminate congestion and also to answer community concerns: “We do not know what it will look like, but we have winnowed it down to that delicate balance.”
Consultant Leslie Bono of CH2M Hill said the California Transportation Commission Board of Directors understands “it is not an easy, obvious answer right now.” She said CTC board members live in small towns and understand, and are genuinely interested in coming to some sort of compromise in Pine Grove.
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Amador County – U.S. Forest Service Hotshot fire fighter Chris Kidd took a detour through Pine Grove Conservation Camp that started his career, and earlier this summer he met with his former instructors and team leaders while they all fought the Canyon Fire in Fresno County.
Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp Superintendent Mike Roots said Sergeant Rod Spencer and Omar Hill of the Pine Grove Conservation Camp Strike Team were working on the Canyon Fire in June when they ran into Chris Kidd, whose new team was working the same fire.
Roots said Kidd started his fire fighting career at Pine Grove Camp in 2006. He received his Graduation Equivalency Diploma and then in 2008 his High School Diploma.
After almost failing the program a couple times, Kidd made it to the top phase. He paroled from Pine Grove Camp in February 2009 on the top phase. He was the working as “first saw” on Crew 1 and at his last case conference his Fire Captain gave him a grade of “A” on crew, saying: “Chris is doing very well in the position of responsibility for the maintenance of the chainsaws for the crew.” Kidd also managed the Cal Fire Warehouse for several months.
Before Kidd paroled, his Case Manager, Richard Forster, had taken Kidd to the bank and helped him set up a bank account. He also worked with Kidd to complete his application for the USFS station in his county.
Roots said “it was great to see him working on the Canyon Fire.”
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Separate historic areas could help define design guideline areas for Amador County
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador County Supervisors last week discussed its draft “design review guidelines” ordinance, which included a suggestion to have historic areas help define separate design areas.
Supervisor Vice Chairman Louis Boitano suggested the change, saying all cities have design review guidelines, and Supervisors may want to think about historic areas around the county that need preservation, and then designate design review guidelines for those areas.
Foothill Conservancy supported adding wineries and vineyards to the design guideline areas, along with Sutter Creek-area gold mines. Sutter Gold Mining corporation is working to open several of the mines in that area, and has closed the Sutter mine to underground tours. Boitano said it was both a historic area and an industrial area.
Supervisor Chairman John Plasse agreed with Boitano, but he was unsure if other jurisdictions designate separate design areas, rather than having county-wide design guidelines.
Planner Nathan Lishman said the county could start by using its “Town Center” designations that are listed in the draft General Plan update. He said there are still areas that need to be addressed, like the Sutter Creek gold mining areas. He said design review guidelines would help address proposed policies for design areas.
Boitano said design review areas need to be fixed. He said 13 acres of land in his family trust property all falls in Sutter Creek’s “Historic District.” He said they cannot build on the ridge tops, and asked: “Are they going to reimburse me for the take?”
Plasse said if they put something into place, people still have the appeals process, and he asked Lishman about outside parties’ ability to appeal. Deputy County Counsel Greg Gillott said “almost any decision or interpretation by staff can be appealed,” by the applicant, staff or the public.
County Planner Susan Grijalva said that was correct, and any interpretation staff makes is appeal-able. Plasse said the city of Jackson was facing such an instance in the remodel of the National Hotel, when a third party appealed the use of non-wood window frames. He said: “They weren’t wood. They just looked like wood.”
Supervisor Ted Novelli read a letter from Planning Commissioner Denise Tober, who could not attend. Tober said said studies show that well-planned communities attract business. She said they need the guideline outline to clearly state “how we want the county to look without being oppressive.”
Tober “it should factor in nicely with Town Centers in the General Plan.” She urged supervisors to “act now” because structures in some areas in the county that have formerly been considered “quaint” are “quickly becoming dilapidated junks.” She also urged that wineries and tasting rooms be included in the guidelines.
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Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council on Monday approved a letter of protest to be sent to the Amador County Board of Supervisors for the Amador Planning Commission’s lifting of conditions of approval on the Martell McDonald’s restaurant, and noted that it supports an appeal of that action.
Sutter Creek took issue with Amador Planning Commission’s lifting of design conditions for McDonald’s in Martell, including requirements to have earth tones in the building’s exterior paint, and required use of natural material finishes such as wood and rock for construction.
The council approved a letter to be signed by Mayor Tim Murphy and sent to the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission, for the Commission’s actions on the issue last week. Murphy’s letter, dated Monday, Sept. 19, said the Planning Commission at its Sept. 13 meeting “removed some of the architectural conditions of approval originally placed on the Martell McDonald’s restaurant.”
The letter said: “Specifically, action was taken to remove the requirements related to use of earth tones and native exterior rock and wood finishes, making way for a new corporate standard design.”
Murphy’s letter said the “Sutter Creek City Council feels that this action was a mistake. The current design and conditions of approval of the project were the result of extensive public input and close collaboration between the public, the planning commission and the applicant.”
The letter said: “If the current facility is to be redesigned it should be done so in a manner which is consistent with our local heritage. The applicant, the public and the planning commission have an opportunity to work together to develop a project which we can all be proud of.”
The letter said “Sutter Creek City Council feels very strongly that the proposed conversion of the existing facility into a bright red, white and yellow building would be a step backward in our County’s continuing efforts to retain and in some cases, regain the unique local character we all value.”
Murphy’s letter said: “An appeal of the Planning Commission’s action has been filed and will be coming before you soon. Please consider this letter as support of that appeal.”
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Amador Supervisors to make separate comments on design guidelines ordinance
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador County Board of Supervisors last week discussed draft design review guidelines and ordinance, and ultimately decided to each make separate comments to the Planning Commission.
Supervisor Chairman John Plasse criticized the ordinance for being too unpredictable by having projects up to 10,000 square feet subject to the Planner or her designee. He said it was an example of overregulation that leads American businesses to sit on trillions of dollars in business reserves, rather than reinvest it. He said with the unpredictable review and oversight process, businesses are “less likely to put capital at risk.” Plasse gave kudos to the original planning drafters who built a 1-mile cushion around Daffodil Hill, and a half-mile from Volcano.
Supervisor Ted Novelli said one guideline for keeping utilities on upper floors and balconies and roofs might need a change, to allow utilities on the sides of buildings.
Plasse said “under landscaping there’s quite a few ‘shalls’.” Supervisor Brian Oneto criticized it too, saying: “What’s the point” of landscaping guidelines near the Boral plant and Carbondale. Planner Nathan Lishman said guidelines are intended to be flexible, but removing some language would “dilute the effectiveness.”
Susan Bragstad, speaking for Foothill Conservancy, said the organization supported guidelines and liked “what you’re doing” but “you need to fine-tune it.” She agreed they need different guidelines for Sutter Gold Mine – maybe a historic corridor – but needs were different around the “clay pits.” She said “historic corridors need support.”
Former County Planning Commissioner Brian Jobson said the discussion raised some key points that need to be brought out and cleared up. He said it would be made clear when people follow a checklist or “score card,” proposed in the guidelines. He said if that was followed, projects would be ready to go and there would “not be exceeding reviews of uncertainty.”
Jobson said relaxing guidelines in the industrial corridor is a great idea, but asked why the Highway 49 corridor was not included. Plasse said the 49 corridor was defined as the area between Central House and Sutter Creek. Jobson said it “needs to be from the Cosumnes River to Sutter Creek,” because the corridor’s value.
Keith Sweet urged passage of the ordinance and guidelines to protect historic areas. He said “today is a watershed moment for the community.” Kathy Allen agreed, saying “people want to preserve history and culture” and the guidelines would help do that.
Plasse said his jewelry business was in a hotel complex in beautiful downtown Folsom. He said some businesses prospered, while others “lost their butts.” He said sometimes it just depends on peoples’ ability to manage their business.
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Jackson and Sutter Creek mayors leade appeal code change for McDonalds
Written by Tom
Amador County – A group of 12 members of the public, including Jackson Vice Mayor Keith Sweet, Sutter Creek Mayor Tim Murphy, and a former Amador County Planning Commissioner, last week filed an appeal with the Amador County Planning Commission for its action to lift certain design guidelines from the McDonald’s restaurant in Martell for a proposed exterior remodel.
Amador County Planner Cara Augustin said the Planning Department received an appeal from a group of 12 individuals, not representing any one group, who pooled together to pay the $364 appeal fee. The group, which filed the appeal with the Amador County Board of Supervisors last Thursday, Sept. 15, included former Amador County Planning Commissioner Brian Jobson, Susan Jobson; Keith and Gail Sweet; Tim and Jill Murphy; Renee Chapman; John Luy; Martin Gates; Paul and Kathy Hansch; and Sandi Baracco.
The filing, signed by Keith Sweet and Brian Hobson, said: “We are appealing the decision of the Planning Commission to rescind a condition of the use permit for McDonald’s in Martel.”
It said “this condition required use of natural materials (stone and wood) on the building exterior and also use of only earth tone colors. We wish to retain and improve the scenic quality and historic character of Amador County.”
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